About the course

There are several goals to this course. The title Web Design and Computer Principles is intended to emphasize the two important elements of the course: Learning how to create the many elements and facets to build websites; as well as to understand the concepts behind computers in general and the web in particular. We will expose you to the exciting, current developments in the world of computers and the Internet. In this course, we will talk about (and demonstrate) the use of publishing tools, web development and some multimedia tools. In addition, we will discuss hardware and the history of computing. The development of computer technology is one of the great achievements of the Twentieth Century. All educated (and voting!) citizens should know about computers and the Internets. In addition, becoming familiar with advanced aspects of software applications, web development and other related tools should assist you in your many occupations and endeavors for years to come.

Topics

You will be encouraged to use the computer as much as possible, because this will be useful for you in your college career and beyond. The practical goals of the course are to teach you:

basic operating system skills using Mac OS, Windows and Unix

Desktop publishing

Internet tools

Web authoring (building websites)

Multimedia (working with images, animation, and sound)

Lecture Schedule

Topic 1 - Introduction to the course; overview of principles

Topic 2 - Photoshop - introduction to creating, editing, and manipulting still images and working with image files

Grading

Your greatest reward is the knowledge and experience that you receive by taking the course. You will also receive a grade. The assignments (see below) will count for 60% of the grade. The midterm will count for 20%, and the final exam counts for the remaining 20%.

Assignments

In all, there will be seven or eight assignments. It is important not to get behind in turning in assignments. If you do get behind, we still want you to do the assignment, so it is better to turn in a late assignment than to skip it and you may wish to speak with me about this. However, late assignments will be penalized, and may not be graded except to note that the assignment was turned in.

Assignments that you turn in should be your own work. It is fine to talk to other students and to get assistance in how to do something, but you should not ask your fellow students to actually do the work for you. When you turn in an assignment, you are saying that you have done this work yourself. The definition of plagiarism is to present someone else's work as though it were your own. Please read the Computer Science Department statement on academic integrity.

Software

Macintosh computers with all of the software packages pre-installed will be made available to you in the ITS labs. Theoretically, you do not need your own computer nor do you need to purchase any software. However, you will be learning how to use various software packages, and you may wish to have access to the software at home or on your laptop. In this case, you must purchase your own copy or use "30-day trial versions" which are sometimes available from the publisher.

You can obtain browsers and other software provided by ITS to all students, including Norton Anti-virus, by going to FILES within your NYU "Home" Account.

Saving your work in the lab

You will be able to save your work ITS labs under your NYU Home Account and/or on your own flash drives. Although you can write to the hard disks of the machines in the labs, you cannot be sure that you will have access to the same machine the next time you enter the lab and the drives in the lab are frequently erased. The best option is to upload your files online and download them as needed. You may find it advantageous to visit the labs at times since there will be tutors available 20 hours per week, and other students can sometimes assist you with general features of the programs.

Using the computer facilities

The main computer labs to use for this class are in the the Third Avenue North Dorm and in the Education building. Further information on the labs is available from ITS.
• Third Avenue North Lab is located at 75 Third Avenue, Level C3 (downstairs) near 12th Street.
• Multimedia lab is located in the Education Building, at 35 W. 4th Street, on the second floor.
• There are other labs, although those are the main two with Macintosh computers. You use your ID card to gain access to the computer labs.

Course Computer Account

In addition to your NYU Home Account, we will be using a special computer account on a Unix web server which will be assigned to you automatically based upon your enrollment. This is called an “i5” account, and we will use it for our web sites.